Comparative Analysis of Abstracts
from Different Fields of Study
Research papers contain different parts, such as introduction, methods, etc.
One of the most important and difficult to write is the abstract. The abstract
and the title are the first instances of contact a reader will have with a
research paper. Due to their difficulty, abstracts and titles are often written
at the end of the research process (Hartley, 2008). Writing this important
section implies its author’s ability to summarise the whole paper in 150 or 200
words. The American Psychological
Association (APA)(2008) defines abstracts as “a brief, comprehensive summary of
the contents of the article” (p. 12).
Additionally, Swales and Feak (1994) define abstracts in terms of
indicative or informative. The former includes indicating ‘what kind of
research has been done’, whereas the latter implies not only the kind of
research but also the information about the main results (Ibid, p.81). Taking
into consideration these characteristics, the present paper tries to analyse
the main features of two abstracts from different areas of study.
Depending on the field
and the requirements of publications, abstracts may differ in their formats.
For instance, structured abstracts are commonly found in medical research
papers. The main characteristic is that information is divided into
sub-headings, such as ‘background, aim, method, result and conclusions’
(Hartley, 2008, p.31). This division allows the readers to scan the abstracts
easily and to find the information in the same place in the body of the
research article. It is possible to say that it is a brief picture of the whole
paper.
In
the educational field, unstructured abstracts are commonly found. In general
terms, they possess the same information as structured abstracts but without
sub headings. Specifically, in King’s (2002) abstract on his research paper
about using DVD in the English as a Foreign Language (EFL) classroom,
background information is provided at the beginning. He includes special
features of DVD and the possible pedagogical advantages of its use in the
classroom. In addition, some linguistic features allow the reader to understand
the research questions. In this article,
information is provided about the purpose of the paper in terms of approaches
and assessment system to be used with DVDs in the classroom. Furthermore, by
the use of the word ‘finally’ the author provides the reader with information
about possible criteria to select appropriate DVD films. It is possible to say
that, this abstract is written in clear and concise language allowing the
community of teachers to understand the purpose and intention of the paper.
Regarding the use of tenses, background information is presented through the
use of present perfect, while the purpose and the writer’s advice are written
in present simple. Swales and Feak (2001) explain that summary abstracts use
the present simple to introduce the conclusions and present or present perfect
for opening sentences. King’s (2002) abstract is an instance of these
characteristics. The use of present simple produces an effect of
‘liveliness and contemporary relevance’ (Swales, et al, 2001, p. 213).
In the case of Rammal’s (2006) paper
on the use of video in EFL classrooms, the abstract is formed by two full sentences in which the
writer clearly states the target reader as well as the purpose. The approach
chosen for the research can also be inferred. However, the author does not
provide clear information about the results arrived. It can be said that Rammal
(2006) left some important issues uncovered. In general terms, the abstract
only provides a very general view of the purpose and the topic under investigation.
In other words, the reader is only provided with a general background of the
research territory and aim as well as the contribution of the paper to the
education field.
In the medical field,
structured abstracts tend to be much more used.
And in most of the cases, authors follow specific guidelines required by
the journal in which it will be published afterwards. The research article by Wijeysundera and et al. (2010) followed the IMRAD formula by including the
subtitles background, methods, results and conclusions. The first term is coined as introduction and
the last one would be the equivalent for discussion. Considering its length,
the authors developed their ideas in more than 300 words which might be more
than the average expected by APA. As
regards the abstract’s linguistic characteristics, full sentences in the past,
the use of impersonal passives and the absence of negatives, are all present
(Swales & Feak, 2001). However, two
aspects are worth considering: the
methods section begins with the first person plural and the conclusions are
stated in the present tense.
The International
Committee of Medical Journals Editors (2010) explains that because abstracts
are the only substantive portion of the article indexed in many electronic
databases, and the only portion many readers read, authors need to be careful
that they accurately reflect the content of the article. Accordingly, the abstract by Wijeysundera and et al. (2010) is organised in smaller pieces of information
under several subheadings: objective, design setting, participants,
interventions, main outcome measure, results and conclusions so that readers
can easily comprehend the purpose of the research paper. In both medical papers, there are several
instances of abbreviations, jargons and symbolisms which in fact should be
avoided since they might lead to confusion (Swales & Feak, 2001).
All in all, the process
of writing an abstract requires the use of summarising in a certain amount of
words the main aspects of a research paper. Depending on the field and
requirements of publications, the abstract may vary in terms of format.
However, the outmost characteristic of abstracts should be the capacity of the
writer to express that his/her findings are worth reading. That is to say,
abstracts are more important for readers than for writers (Swales & Feak,
2001) since if the reader likes and finds the abstract interesting, he/she
would probably continue reading the paper. And this will ensure the writer’s
purpose: the purpose to be read.
Task #3 Final Draft
References
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